May 1, 2014

Fragment of the face of an Egyptian queen, 1353-1336 B.C.

I first saw a picture of this sculpture when I was an undergraduate at U.C.L.A. in the late 60's: I think — but I'm not certain — that it appeared in Janson's "History of Art," the textbook for a survey course called Art 1A.

In any event, it completely floored me.

At that time, I vowed to myself that if ever I was in New York City the first thing I would do is visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see this piece up close.

Alas, I have been in New York City at least twice since then, most recently last year, and I have yet to go to the Met.

Chances are, I never will.

From Retronaut: "The royal woman represented here cannot be identified with certainty. It is difficult to imagine that the already aged Queen Tiye — the mother of Akhenaten and highly respected as a wise woman at Amarna — was shown as a beauty of such sensuous character. Queens Nefertiti and Kiya, however, are both possible subjects."

Comments

Hi Joe,

I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the fifties and sixties and my parents took me to the museums regularly.
I first saw those lips when I was nine and never forgot them. Growing up I would make a pilgrimage to the Queen with each new
girlfriend.

I've been a fan of yours for some time and caught this the last time you posted it. Hadn't thought of it for some time.
I confess I immediately felt we were kindred spirits. (no creepiness intended)

Best regards,

David

Posted by: David Richman | May 7, 2014 10:28:48 PM

I am also smitten by it!

Those voluptuous lips...

My meds, please.

Posted by: Joe Peach | May 3, 2014 4:55:17 PM

Janson's "History of Art" was the textbook for all Art History 101 courses every where.